News

Tuesday, November 17, 2009​ On the evening of Wednesday, November 11, 2009, Al Hiwar Center – a Washington-based organization dedicated to the promotion of dialogue on Middle Eastern issues – organized a panel on Turkey’s new policy toward the Middle East at its offices in Vienna, Virginia.

The conversation was led by Dr. Jamal Barzinji, Vice President of IIIT and Professor Cemil Aydin, IIIT Professor of Islamic Studies and Associate Professor of History at George Mason University.The focus of the discussion was on the continuities and changes in Turkish foreign policy in general and toward the Arab world in particular, its emphasis on the interests of the Turkish people, and the successes of the new policy in the economic field, politically and socially. Dr. Barzinji emphasized the “independent’ nature of the new Turkish foreign policy. He highlighted the major positive impact of Turkey’s commitment to democracy, non violence and the rule of law and above all putting the national interest of the Turkish people as the defining feature of foreign policy and the many lessons the Arab world should learn from this approach.Cemil Aydin focused on the relationship of the current policy to the historical legacy of Turkish relations with the Arab world and the continuities that marked the relationship from Ottoman rule to WW! And the national struggle for independence in the Arab world around World War 11. He pointed out to the strong pro Arab polices and positions of successive Turkish regimes from the Kamalist movement to the current government, particularly in relation to critical issues such as the Arab-Israeli conflict and peace in the region.Full report – in Turkish – on the panel.